Ideas for Providers:

Teach Yourself Better Counseling

Study and discuss: Learn from this Counseling Guide. Try the Suggested Exercises and Discussions.

Role-playing: Try role-playing with a colleague. One of you can play the role of counselor. The other person can pretend to be a client; imagine the client’s character, life situation, and the decisions that he or she is facing. Then act out the counseling session. Other colleagues can watch.

Afterwards, discuss what went well and what could be improved. Discuss other approaches to the needs of this “client.” Everyone’s comments should be clear but gentle.

Everyone can take turns playing different roles, both as client and as provider. After some practice, one of you may pretend to be a client who poses a special challenge—for example, a client who will hardly speak, a client who wants you to decide for her or him, or a client who cries. (See Meeting Counseling Challenges.)

Observation: Ask a colleague to watch you counsel a client and then to make comments. (Get the client’s permission first.) Your colleague can use the skills checklist.

Supporting materials: Keep this Counseling Guide and other reference materials handy so that you can easily find answers to clients’ questions. Collect good pictures to show clients. Try out the pictures with clients and see what works best.

Friendly environment: Think about what makes good counseling difficult at your facility—for example, lack of privacy. Talk with colleagues about what you yourselves can do to make counseling easier—for example, taking the client outside to talk. If appropriate, discuss solutions with your supervisor—for example, hanging a blanket across a corner to create a private place for counseling.

Tips for Managers:

Promoting Better Counseling

Help Staff Get Training

• Make clear to staff why all providers need to learn counseling, and why training is important.
• Order copies of this Counseling Guide for all staff.
• Find training programs for your staff. Review the course objectives and content.
• Select trainees based on fair criteria.
• Give staff paid time to attend training.
• Attend training yourself.
• Allow staff the time to do any pretraining assignments.

Help Staff Use Their Training

• Acknowledge trained staff to other staff and to clients.
• make sure staff can put new skills to use at once.
• Ask trainees to discuss what they have learned with you and other staff.
• Make clear to staff that good counseling is always important and treating clients with respect is crucial.
• Agree on goals for better counseling, and expect improvement. Then follow up, and report progress to the staff.
• Make sure providers have cue cards, flip charts, samples, models, and other counseling aids.
• Set a good example by treating clients with respect.
• Be a good coach. Observe counseling (with the client's permission) and give guidance to staff.
• Publicize and reward good counseling. Consider counseling abilities when judging staff performance.
• Encourage staff to suggest ways to remove barriers to good counseling.
• Organize in-house refresher sessions from time to time.
• Give staff the time for role-playing and other practice.